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In New York, the right purchase contract usually comes through a real-estate attorney—not a generic download. Downstate, the seller’s attorney often prepares the formal contract. Upstate, a broker may present an offer or contract with a short attorney-approval period. We did not find a statewide government-issued purchase-contract blank for ordinary residential resales.
Unless the property or transfer is excluded or exempt, the seller must complete the current New York Property Condition Disclosure Statement and deliver it before the buyer signs a binding contract. Work with New York real-estate attorneys on the contract, inspections, title, and closing.
See the house contract and disclosure stepsNew York’s Property Condition Disclosure Act does not cover condominium units or cooperative apartments. These deals use different contracts and due diligence. A condo is real-property ownership; a co-op purchase generally transfers shares and a proprietary lease.
See the condo and co-op stepsNew York residential purchases are ordinarily handled by real-estate attorneys for each side. The New York Courts page links statewide and local paid, free, and reduced-cost lawyer resources, including bar referral services.
Find New York lawyer resourcesPublicLegal does not sell a New York purchase-contract lookalike. When the right path is a New York attorney, the current DOS disclosure form, or property-specific condo/co-op documents, we say so.
Reviewed August 2026 · GOL §5-703 · RPL Art. 14 (§§461–465) · current DOS Property Condition Disclosure Statement · NYSBA · NYC Bar · NY Courts · NY Attorney General · EPA lead
Independent general information for ordinary New York residential resales. PublicLegal is not affiliated with New York DOS, NYSBA, NYC Bar, New York Courts, or the New York Attorney General. This page is not legal advice.
Before you sign: Do not assume an offer, binder, receipt, or purchase agreement is nonbinding. In some New York markets it may create obligations, and attorney-review periods can be short. Have a New York real-estate attorney review it before signing—or contact one immediately if you already signed.
Editorial summary based on New York General Obligations Law §5-703; Real Property Law Article 14 (Property Condition Disclosure Act) as currently published; the New York Department of State Property Condition Disclosure Statement form; NYSBA consumer materials on buying and selling real estate; NYC Bar consumer and forms materials; New York Courts lawyer-referral resources; New York Attorney General condo/co-op guidance; and EPA lead-disclosure materials. Re-check official sources before you rely on deadlines or form versions—statutes, forms, and local practices change.
A contract for the sale of real property generally must be in writing and subscribed by the party to be charged or that party’s lawful agent authorized in writing (General Obligations Law §5-703). That writing requirement is not the same thing as a free government form number.
New York residential deals are ordinarily attorney-handled. That is a strong practice and unauthorized-practice boundary around legal drafting and advice—not a claim that one statute forces an attorney to physically conduct every closing the way some other states frame attorney closings.
Regional practice differs. Downstate, parties often treat a broker-accepted offer as the start of attorney contract drafting. Upstate, the first paper may itself be a contract or binder that needs immediate attorney review. Either way, get counsel before you create obligations you do not understand.
For a covered one-to-four-family home, New York law generally requires the seller to complete a Property Condition Disclosure Statement and deliver it to the buyer or the buyer’s agent before the buyer signs a binding contract of sale. A copy signed by both parties is attached to the contract (Real Property Law §462). The statement is based on the seller’s actual knowledge. It is not a warranty and is not a substitute for the buyer’s own inspections and public-record review.
“Residential real property” for this Act means a one-to-four-family dwelling used or intended as a home. It does not include condominium units, cooperative apartments, unimproved land on which dwellings will be built, or property in a homeowners’ association that the seller does not own in fee simple (Real Property Law §461(5)). Separate transfer exemptions appear in §463—for example certain court-ordered, foreclosure, fiduciary, family, and never-inhabited new-construction transfers.
Contracts for the sale of real property generally must be in writing and subscribed by the party to be charged (General Obligations Law §5-703). Downstate, the seller’s attorney commonly prepares the formal contract and riders. Upstate, a broker may present an offer or pre-printed contract with a short attorney-approval window. A broker may, under limited conditions, complete simple fill-in forms or approved local forms, but may not give legal advice or create custom legal terms. Do not treat a generic national download as a New York substitute.
Since March 2024, sellers may not use the old $500 purchase-price credit in place of delivering the disclosure statement. Use the current New York Department of State form. If the seller later learns facts that make a prior statement materially inaccurate, the seller must deliver a revised statement as soon as practicable—before title transfer or buyer occupancy, whichever is earlier. Willful failure to perform Article 14 requirements can expose a seller to actual damages and other remedies under Real Property Law §465; the Act also preserves other existing claims.
PublicLegal does not sell a New York house purchase-contract substitute. Retain New York counsel, use the official disclosure form when required, complete inspections, and coordinate title and closing with your professionals.
Condominium units and cooperative apartments are excluded from the Property Condition Disclosure Act’s definition of residential real property. Do not assume the DOS house disclosure form applies to a condo or co-op purchase.
A condominium buyer generally receives real-property title to a unit plus an interest in common elements. Governing documents, common charges, assessments, building finances, right-of-first-refusal or transfer procedures, and the difference between a sponsor sale and an ordinary resale all matter. The New York Attorney General regulates many sponsor offerings; resales from individual owners are different and may not include a current offering plan.
A cooperative purchase generally transfers shares in a cooperative corporation allocated to an apartment, together with a proprietary lease. There is usually no deed to the apartment itself. Board approval, financial requirements, house rules, sublet policies, and building condition review are common deal points—and they are not interchangeable with condominium transfer rules.
Use New York real-estate counsel experienced with the property type before you sign a purchase agreement. Review physical condition, building finances, minutes, and governing documents. Federal lead-based paint rules can still apply to most pre-1978 housing. PublicLegal does not sell condo or co-op purchase-contract substitutes, and our deed pages are not a substitute for a co-op share transfer package.
For covered one-to-four-family residential real property, Real Property Law §462 requires the seller to complete and sign the statutory Property Condition Disclosure Statement and deliver it to the buyer or buyer’s agent before the buyer signs a binding contract of sale. A dual-signed copy is attached to the contract. The seller answers from actual knowledge and is not required by the Act to investigate public records or hire inspectors.
The current official form is published by the New York Department of State (DOS-1614-f). Use the current DOS form—not an old printout. The form states that a knowingly false or incomplete statement may subject the seller to claims before or after transfer of title. If the seller later acquires knowledge that makes a prior statement materially inaccurate, the seller must deliver a revised statement as soon as practicable, but not after title transfer or buyer occupancy, whichever is earlier.
Condominium units, cooperative apartments, unimproved construction lots, and certain non-fee-simple association property are outside the Act’s definition of residential real property. Section 463 lists transfer exemptions such as many court-ordered, foreclosure, fiduciary, co-owner, lineal-family, divorce-settlement, government, never-inhabited new-construction, sheriff, and partition transfers.
The historic $500 credit that some sellers used instead of delivering a disclosure statement is no longer available under the current statute as amended in 2024. Do not rely on older web pages that still describe that credit. Real Property Law §465 addresses liability for willful failure to perform Article 14 requirements and preserves other existing remedies; it should not be read as a simple automatic cancellation right for every missing form.
New York still has a common-law caveat emptor backdrop outside the Act, with important exceptions for active concealment, affirmative misrepresentation, and related fraud theories. The disclosure statement is not a warranty of condition. Buyers should still inspect.
Other notices can also apply depending on the property: federal lead-based paint materials for most pre-1978 housing; Real Property Law §242 notices in defined situations (for example certain utility-service, surcharge, uncapped natural-gas-well, or on-bill recovery issues); agricultural-district notice under Agriculture and Markets Law §310 when the property lies wholly or partly in an agricultural district; and smoke/carbon-monoxide compliance documentation at conveyance for covered residential transfers under Executive Law §378. Local municipal searches and certificates may also matter.
Examples of transfers that may not require a Property Condition Disclosure Statement under Real Property Law §463 include:
Read the current statute for the exact exemption text. If you are unsure whether a transfer is covered, ask New York counsel before relying on an exemption.
We do not sell a New York purchase-contract substitute. When you need a related PublicLegal product for a New York property, these are optional and stage-specific.
Use this as a practical sequence—not a substitute for advice on your facts.
Depending on the property and transaction, parties may also need to address:
Local customs differ across New York. Use professionals and primary sources for your address—not a generic national packet.
New York residential purchases are ordinarily closed with attorneys coordinating the contract, title or co-op transfer papers, funding, taxes, and recording. Downstate transactions often use title companies for searches and insurance. Some upstate markets still use abstract and attorney-opinion traditions alongside or instead of owner’s title policies.
The bank’s lawyer, the title company, the broker, and the other side’s lawyer are not automatically your lawyer. NYSBA consumer materials emphasize that you need your own counsel and a clear engagement about fees and scope.
The purchase agreement creates the sale obligations. For a house or condo, title typically transfers later by deed at closing. For a co-op, the transfer package is usually shares and a proprietary lease—not a deed to the apartment. PublicLegal’s New York deed pages address conveyance documents for deeded property; they are not a purchase agreement and are not a co-op transfer kit.
Independently verify wire instructions using a known phone number. Real-estate wire fraud is common.
That keeps this page honest: process orientation and official links, not a substitute for New York attorneys or property-specific documents.
We did not find a statewide government-issued residential purchase-contract blank for ordinary resales. New York deals are ordinarily handled with attorney-prepared or attorney-reviewed contracts, often based on local or bar-published starting-point forms plus riders. PublicLegal does not sell a New York purchase-contract lookalike.
Yes—it can be. Do not assume an offer, binder, receipt, or purchase agreement is nonbinding. Some markets use short attorney-approval periods. Have a New York real-estate attorney review before you sign, or contact one immediately if you already signed.
New York residential purchases are ordinarily attorney-handled, and brokers are limited in the legal drafting and advice they may provide. This page does not claim a single statute forces an attorney to physically conduct every closing. The practical consumer answer is still to retain your own New York counsel for the contract and closing.
In limited situations a broker may complete simple pre-printed or approved local forms, often subject to attorney approval. Brokers may not give legal advice or create custom legal terms. The safer path is New York counsel for each side before obligations harden.
No. The historic $500 credit in lieu of delivering a Property Condition Disclosure Statement was removed by the 2024 amendment. Covered sellers should use the current DOS form.
No. Real Property Law §461(5) excludes condominium units and cooperative apartments from the Act’s definition of residential real property. Those deals need a different attorney-led document path.
The statute allows parties to make agreements about physical condition, including “as is” sales, but it still requires covered sellers to deliver the disclosure statement before the buyer signs. Do not treat an as-is clause as permission to skip the statutory form.
No. The form is based on the seller’s actual knowledge and is not a warranty. Buyers should still obtain independent professional inspections and review public records.
Usually no. A cooperative purchase generally transfers shares in the cooperative corporation and a proprietary lease for the apartment. PublicLegal deed pages address deeded conveyances and are not a co-op transfer package.
Before you sign any binder, offer, or contract—or immediately if a review deadline is running. Also talk to counsel for condo/co-op deals, missing disclosures, title problems, unusual financing, or deposit disputes. This page is orientation, not representation.
PublicLegal provides self-help forms and information. This is not legal advice. Real estate purchase and disclosure rules vary by state and transaction. Confirm requirements for your property with a qualified professional when needed.